Abstract
Insulators are cis -regulatory elements that separate transcriptional units, whereas silencers are elements that repress transcription regardless of their position. In plants, these elements remain largely uncharacterized. Here, we use the massively parallel reporter assay Plant STARR-seq with short fragments of eight large insulators to identify more than 100 fragments that block enhancer activity. The short fragments can be combined to generate more powerful insulators that abolish the capacity of the strong viral 35S enhancer to activate the 35S minimal promoter. Unexpectedly, when tested upstream of weak enhancers, these fragments act as silencers and repress transcription. Thus, these elements are capable of both insulating or repressing transcription dependent upon regulatory context. We validate our findings in stable transgenic Arabidopsis , maize, and rice plants. The short elements identified here should be useful building blocks for plant biotechnology efforts.
Submitted Version
Published Version
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
